Ingredient Review

The first ingredient is beef tripe. Beef tripe is the edible lining of a cow's stomach. It's a fairly nutritious ingredient which many dog owners claim to be highly palatable.

The second ingredient is beef broth. Beef broth provides both flavor and moisture; however, as with other broths, beef broth does not provide any notable nutritional contribution.

The third ingredient is beef. Although beef is an excellent protein source, raw beef contains more than 60% moisture. After cooking, the relative meat contribution of beef is dramatically reduced. Therefore, it's important to ensure that other meat sources are included within the first few ingredients to ensure the product derives most of its protein from meat.

The fourth ingredient is chicken, which is an excellent source of protein and fat.

The fifth ingredient is carrot, which are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant.

Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Beef Tripe & Chicken, Apples & Green Peas Entree - Grain Free Adult are not as important as the first five ingredients.

However, collectively they still have a significant impact on the overall quality of the product. Therefore, we'll continue discussing the remaining ingredients in this Castor & Pollux recipe.

Next we have dried egg product. Dried egg product consists of shell-free eggs which are easy to digest and contain high quality protein. Egg protein is often given the highest biological value (BV). The BV metric measures the usability of the ingredient's protein.

The next ingredient is beef liver. Beef liver is an excellent organ meat which provides high quality protein and fat. In addition, beef liver provides many essential vitamins and minerals.

Then we have green bean. Green beans are naturally rich in dietary fiber and numerous vitamins and minerals. They also supply a notable amount of plant based protein.

Moving on, we have sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a common gluten free carbohydrate source in pet food. In addition to its fiber content, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta carotene, an important antioxidant which serves as a precursor to vitamin A.

Moving on with this review, we have apple. Apples are high in dietary fiber and provide a modest amount of vitamins and minerals.

The next ingredient in this review is potato starch. Potato starch is a gluten-free ingredient extracted from potatoes. Unlike whole potatoes, the starch itself does not provide a notable amount of nutrition.

Our next ingredient is sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is an omega-6 fatty acid source. Unlike other oils (flax, canola, etc), sunflower oil does not provide omega-3 fatty acids; However, the balancing omega-3 fatty acids are most likely supplied by another oil or fat source.

dried pea is the next ingredient in this recipe. Dried peas are an excellent carbohydrate source, naturally rich in dietary fiber and protein.

Next on the list is calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is a naturally occurring mineral supplement. Although it's often used as a dietary calcium supplement, it can also be used as a preservative or color retainer.

The next ingredient in this recipe is pea protein. Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

Next we have natural flavor. Unlike artificial flavoring, natural flavoring is produced using plants and/or animal parts.

The next ingredient is sodium phosphate. Sodium phosphate is a generic term used for salts of sodium and phosphate. It is most likely used as a emulsifier, thickening agent, or leavening agent.

Then we have salt. Salt is an important mineral for both humans and dogs. Depending on the quantity of salt used (which we cannot determine), salt may or may not be a nutritious addition in the recipe.

Moving on, we have potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is a potassium supplement.

Moving on with this review, we have choline chloride. Choline chloride is member of the B-vitamin complex (vitamin B4).

The remaining ingredients in this Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix recipe are unlikely to affect the overall rating of the product.

Our analysis of the ingredients show that this product derives most of its protein from animal based sources. This is an excellent property because meat based protein contains all of the necessary amino acids required by dogs. In our option, this is one of the most important properties to judge when reviewing pet food, therefore we believe this is an exceptional product in this regard.

Final Thoughts

In summary, we recognize that this product does not contain any artificial colors, artificial preservatives, or anonymous meat ingredients.